New Challenges Volume 8:The Phoenix and the Dragon
by Kaiphantom
Summary: *Final Volume* The past is catching up. A long time ago, events were set in motion, and only now are they coming close to fruition. Can Ranma, Akane, and all their friends deal with something that their ancestors couldn't?
1. Chapter 1

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
DISCLAIMER: For the final time, these character ain't mine!!! I've told  
you again and again that they belong to someone else. How many more  
times do I have to repeat that I'm just usin' them for some non-profit  
fun?  
  
  
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Many cultures harbor varied legends concerning different mystical  
creatures. Among almost all of these legends, however, are two magical  
beasts that tend to stand out more than the others: A dragon and a  
phoenix.  
  
The names of these creatures may vary, but the symbolism and intent  
behind them is clear. A dragon is frequently seen as a powerful and  
destructive lizard-type creature, while a phoenix is viewed as a magical  
bird that brings life and rebirth. These are representive of the the two  
primal forces that exist in our world: Destruction and Creation.  
  
Neither is greater than the other, as the destruction of one thing leads  
to the creation of something else. On the other hand, the creation of a  
thing forces the destruction of what was there before. Thus, the balance  
is maintained, and it reflects the basic principle of change: one thing  
becoming something something else.  
  
This idea is most readily apparent in the form of the transformations  
carried by those that have been touched by the mystic waters of  
Jusenkyo. With water as the trigger, one form is destroyed and another  
created in it's place. These `cursed springs' are fed by twin statues in  
the heart of Jusendo; statues of a Phoenix and a Dragon.  
  
The period of change, the cycle of destruction and creation, that Ranma,  
Akane, and all their friends are currently experiencing will soon come  
to a close, but not before they discover the full role that the Phoenix  
and the Dragon play in their lives...  
  
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Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
The Phoenix and the Dragon  
Chapter 1  
  
  
  
  
Prince Herb let his hand drift over the surface of the large  
ornate desk, then sat back in the grand armchair that was its matching  
piece. Both had been constructed a long time ago, long before he was  
born, using the finest oak hardwood available. It had served as a kind  
sanctum for the official ruler of the Musk Dynasty. It was the place  
where many a document had been studied and signed, and where secret  
counsels had taken place bewteen the most trusted advisors of the King.  
As the last in his line, it now belonged to Herb.  
  
But the prince's thoughts did not linger long on this, however,  
as he was distracted by a strange impression he had possessed since two  
months ago. Two months ago, an unusual feeling had come over him, as if  
some great event had occured and he was now sensing the ripples that it  
had produced. As the descendent of a dragon, he had a large amount of ki  
life-force that made him sensitve to powerful disturbances.  
  
He closed his eyes and sighed, realizing that some major event  
was close at hand, but was at a loss as to know what. At times like  
these, he wished that he had access to the circle of advisors that his  
predecessors had. The once-mighty Musk Dynasty had dwindled to all but a  
few. Only himself, Lime, Mint, and a few retainers, were all that was  
left of the hybrids. There was the doddering old fool who kept the  
Dynasty's records as well, but Herb considered the ancient owl-like man  
mostly senile. They had a few more regular human servants that had come  
from the nearby village, but that was it.  
  
The large castle that had stood for ages as the home of the  
Musk, now seemed completely barren. In a way, Herb was glad they were  
letting in those survivors from the Mage Clans, as it filled the halls  
with people once more. True, it had only been a few stragglers so far,  
but more and more trickled in as the year passed, as word spread.  
  
Herb just wished he knew who was behind the attacks that drove  
the Mage Clans from their traditional Tibetan mountain home. The Musk  
rarely had dealings with the wizards that lived up there, but they  
weren't really enemies. Still, on the times when the Musk had tangled  
with them, they had proven to be formidable opponents. He wondered what  
force could have been powerful enough to rout all of the clans.  
  
Herb grinned, finding himself wanting to know who had that kind  
of power, wanting to challenge it himself. Little did he know, that he  
would soon have that chance.  
  
"Yes, what is it?" he called out to the sudden knock on the  
door.  
  
"Prince Herb!" came the voice of Mint. "There is something you  
should see at the front gates!"  
  
The dragon-blooded prince rose to his feet, taking another  
moment to glance around and study the small room, noting each of the  
scattered bookshelves and paintings in turn. One day, all this would  
belong to his descendents. No matter how few of them there were now, he  
would not let the Musk Dynasty end with him.  
  
Herb opened the door and beheld his wolfish retainer. "Very  
well. Show me what this is all about."  
  
  
  
  
"How is she?"  
  
The boy who had just exited the room, turned to his companion  
after he let the door close, then shook his head. "She just put our  
prince to rest. She is still having problems, but she won't admit it."  
  
The second boy sighed. "Well, what should we do about it,  
Masara?"  
  
"Why are you asking me?" Masara asked, surprised.  
  
"'Cause I don't have any ideas!" the other boy nearly shouted.  
  
"Karuma! Masara! What are you two boys doing there!?"  
  
The two youths leapt away from the door and responded in  
unison. "Nothing, old man!"  
  
The old man shambled into the light, stroking his white beard  
in curiosity as he studied the two boys. "Hmph. `Old man' indeed. I may  
be old, but I have more wisdom and knowledge then both of you put  
together!" He had a name, but everyone merely called him `old man'.  
There were other members of the Phoenix Tribe who were near his age, but  
he was the eldest of all, next to the eternally-living Saffron, of  
course.  
  
"And more hot air," Masara quipped, which earned a snicker from  
Karuma.  
  
"What's gotten into young hatchlings these days," the old one  
grumbled, then switched topics. "By the way, how is your mistress?"  
  
The two young boys glanced at each other, apprehensively.  
  
Karuma looked up. "Um, to tell the truth-"  
  
"What are you doing!?" Masara hissed.  
  
"We have to tell someone!" the other boy argued back.  
  
The old birdman ruffled the feathers on his back and frowned,  
his eyes narrowing. "You'd best tell me what's going on."  
  
"It's Captain Kiima," Karuma continued, sparing a glance at  
Masara to see if he'd interrupt. He didn't. "There's something wrong  
with her, but we don't know what to do about it! She won't tell us  
what's wrong."  
  
The elderly birdman frowned. Kiima, as Captain of the royal  
Phoenix guard, was tasked with raising young Saffron until he could  
undergo the transformation from prince to king once more. If something  
was wrong with Kiima, that could have a negative influence on their  
young prince.  
  
"Karuma, you will come with me," the old one told the youth.  
"Mayhap we can find something in the library. Masara, you will stay and  
continue to service your mistress. Now come!"  
  
Koruma spared a helpless glance and shrug at his friend, who  
returned it, then trailed off after the old man.  
  
  
  
  
Ranma ducked and weaved around his opponent's attacks, but his  
mind wasn't really on the fight. Ever since that old monk had dropped by  
several days ago, his mind had been troubled. He never really paid much  
attention in school before, but now he couldn't think on that at all. It  
had got so bad that Akane had derided his slipping study habits.  
  
He sighed and blocked a kick from his father on his forearm,  
then backed up a space to give himself more room maneuver.  
  
There was something unsettling about all this, Ranma decided,  
that events from a long time ago could have such a bearing on his life.  
It made him wonder if he had any control on his life at all. He had  
begun to think that his decisions were his alone, but what if he was  
wrong? If so, what was the point of all this?  
  
*Wham!*  
  
Ranma ended up face down in the dirt. [Where did that come  
from!?]  
  
"I'm disappointed, boy," Genma said, crossing his arms over his  
chest. "You should have seen that coming. You're distracted, when your  
focus should be on the fight."  
  
"It's just sparring, Pops," Ranma retorted, standing back up.  
Inwardly, he wondered what was going on with his father. Ever since that  
night nearly a week ago, Genma had been pushing him harder than usual  
during their morning spars.  
  
"Foolish boy!" Genma berated. "It doesn't matter what the  
conditions are. If you don't bring your full attention to what you're  
doing, you'll never win. I could have made that kick a killing move if I  
wanted, and you'd be dead right now!" He shook his head. "But if you  
think you can't handle that, maybe you aren't worthy of the Saotome  
Musabetsu Kakuto-ryu."  
  
Ranma laughed. "I'm better than you any day of the week, Old  
Man. If I ain't worthy, than neither are you, since I can beat you easy.  
I beat Happosai easy enough."  
  
Genma frowned. "You mean he let you win. Never underestimate  
your opponent, especially when your opponent is him. But, if you think  
you're better than me, perhaps we should test that."  
  
Akane had been watching the exchange from the dining room with  
Natsume and Kurumi, and couldn't miss Ranma's sharp intake of breath. It  
was barely perceptible, but she had come to know him quite well. She  
couldn't shake the feeling that something major was about to happen.  
  
Ranma smiled and slid into a ready stance. "Anytime you're  
ready, Pops."  
  
Instead of matching it or attacking, Genma merely chuckled.  
"Not now, boy, and definitely not here." He gestured to the Tendo yard.  
"It's much too small, wouldn't you agree?"  
  
"Name your time and place, then," Ranma stated, relaxing his  
position. "It don't make any difference to me."  
  
"Two weeks," Genma replied, holding up two fingers to emphasize  
the point. "You have that much time to prepare, and then we'll settle  
this somewhere more open."  
  
With those words, Genma Saotome walked right by his son,  
sparing a glance at Soun who was standing behind Akane. Then he walked  
out the gate and was gone.  
  
"So, it's finally come to this," Soun said solemnly.  
  
"What's going on?" Kurumi asked, looking quite confused. Natsume  
merely leaned back with a thoughtful and nearly unreadable expression on  
her face.  
  
Akane looked up at her father, her brow furrowing. "Daddy, does  
that mean what I think it means?" As he nodded, Akane returned her gaze  
back to Ranma, who had his back to them while he crouched on a rock  
beside the koi pond. He had his head down, as if he was studying the  
waters, or maybe his own reflection in them.  
  
"In two weeks, the student will challenge his teacher," Soun  
replied in an even voice. "While Happosai still is technically the  
Grandmaster of our school, Genma and I are Masters of our particular  
parts. Before he left, Happosai gave Ranma permission to begin teaching,  
but Ranma has not really earned that right. Apparently, Ranma thinks  
he's ready."  
  
Akane pursed her lips, then rose and crossed the yard to sit  
down next to her husband. When he didn't acknowledge her presence, she  
rubbed his back. "Hey, you okay?"  
  
He managed to turn and her his confident grin. "You know me,  
I'll be fine. Pops won't know what hit him!"  
  
She scowled at him. "Be serious, you!" She searched his face  
for any sign of what he was really feeling. "You're worried." It wasn't  
a question, but a statement.  
  
Ranma turned uneasily away from her, still not comfortable  
showing this side of himself to others. "I'll win, it's just that he's  
trained and been with me for as long as I can remember. And in two weeks  
I'm gonna try and kill him."  
  
Akane's eyes widened in shock. "It won't go that far, will it?"  
  
His own eyes closed. "Most likely not. But we're both gonna go  
all out; it's the only way to prove who's better. We've fought each  
other so much, that we both know how the other fights. I'm going to have  
to come with some stuff to surprise him, and I gather he's doin' the  
same."  
  
Akane nodded, not knowing what to say to that. No matter how  
much the idea scared her, she always had faith in Ranma's abilities  
before, and she wasn't about to lose that faith now. She told herself  
that no one would be killed, that this fight would be no different, but  
she still a few lingering doubts in the back of her mind.  
  
This only added to the worry she was already feeling about her  
condition. Tofu had given her a thorough examination a few days ago  
after listening to her complaints. After it was over, he had informed  
her that her aura was relatively normal, but that something was  
affecting her ki. It almost looked like something was draining it  
slightly, he informed her, but since Akane had so much ki already, it  
only affected her when she exerted herself too much. Quite simply, she  
didn't have the energy for that.  
  
She hadn't told Ranma about this yet, perferring to keep the  
problem to herself for the moment, and hoping she could solve it  
herself. Or that Doctor Tofu could find something to help her. As a  
temporary solution, he had manipulated a number of shiatsu points that  
fully opened up the ki pathways in her body. It would allow her to exert  
herself more, but the problem of a ki drain still remained.  
  
"Then where does that leave us?" they heard Natsume say. "Master  
Happosai trained us in Musabetsu Kakuto-ryu as well. At least, that's  
what he told us."  
  
That got Ranma's attention, and he turned back toward the  
house. "I've always wondered about that. Musabetsu Kakuto is mostly  
unarmed, yet you two use weapons. You've got the same basic styles as  
us, though."  
  
Natsume pulled her rugbeater from her back and held it in her  
lap, studying it. "He made these weapons for us, then taught us to  
synchronize our ki with our natural element. It was more difficult when  
we were young, but the weapons enabled us to better project our  
elemental attacks." She replaced the weapon on her back.  
  
Ranma and Akane came back into the house and sat down as Kasumi  
began to place breakfast on the table.  
  
"Natural element, hmmm..." Ranma said, more to himself than  
anyone else. He absent picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.  
  
Akane looked thoughtful as well. "That sounds a lot like the  
Soul of Ice, doesn't it, Ranma? That's what you're thinking about,  
right?"  
  
Ranma nodded. "I've taken the technique a little farther since  
then, but if I'm right, then this would be a whole application of it."  
  
"What's the `Soul of Ice'?" Kurumi asked, curious. Miraculously,  
she had let her mouth stay empty long enough to ask the question. It  
didn't last long, however.  
  
Since Ranma was still thinking, Akane explained it to the new  
youngest Tendo between bites. After she was done telling them about  
Ranma's Hiryu Shoten Ha training, both Natsume and Kurumi looked  
suitably impressed.  
  
"Then, it was that technique which you two used to best our  
final attack," Natsume deduced. "It does indeed sound quite similar to  
what we were taught about aligning our ki with the elements. Most people  
are naturally suited towards one element. In my case, it is air, while  
my younger sister is attuned towards fire, as you've seen."  
  
"Why don't we work this out in the dojo later?" Ranma suggested.  
  
"It would be our pleasure," Natsume replied. "You have done so  
much for us, already. The least we can do is show you what we know."  
  
The rest of the meal proceeded in silence. Akane was no  
exception, as her own thoughts were processing this information. Ranma  
had tried to teach her the Soul of Ice back when they were working on  
aura control. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't grasp it. Of  
course, the fact that Ranma was using his worst insults to teach her  
didn't help much.  
  
[Ranma is air, similar to Natsume,] Akane reasoned. [Maybe I  
should go with my element. Does that mean...] She glanced at Kurumi, who  
had just finished inhaling her food, and was now washing it down with  
tea.  
  
A slow smiled spread across Akane's face.  
  
  
  
  
Shampoo sat concealed in the vegetation surrounding the small  
clearing where Fen Wu's cabin was located. It had taken a couple of days  
to get here, as her enhanced senses told her that someone was following  
her, and she had to take some extra time to ditch her pursuer. At first,  
she tried to find out who was trailing her, but whoever it was, they  
were good. Shampoo was unable to determine who it was. The best she  
could do, was use her new physical abilites to dash through a rugged and  
dangerous section of mountain pathways. After that, there was no further  
sign that she was being followed.  
  
The Amazon catgirl had actually arrived the day before, but had  
spent the rest of yesterday and most of today just studying Mousse and  
his teacher, who were now sparring in the yard with bo staves. Adjusting  
her position in the trees, Shampoo had felt quite reluctant to actually  
announce her presence. She was unable to figure out exactly why this  
was, however. Surely she wasn't afraid of facing Mousse again?  
  
She shook her head, feeling rather stupid for even considering  
that thought. Besides, he even seemed to have given up on her, for which  
she was glad. In their carefree childhood days before he had become  
obsessed with her, they had actually been friends. She had helped him  
out when he was being picked on by some other girls because of his bad  
eyesight. Ever since then, he had started to follow her around like a  
lost puppy.  
  
Shampoo forced her thoughts away from this area, and instead  
tried to think about what Ranma was doing at this moment. She still held  
strong feelings for the only man to defeat her in combat; feelings she  
felt were stonger than anything Akane could ever have. Shampoo at least  
showed how she felt towards Ranma, while Akane merely displayed  
jealously and possessiveness, while denying she felt anything for him.  
Even though Shampoo had lost to Akane, the Amazon felt maybe there was  
still a chance.  
  
The catgirl brightened at the thought. Maybe after she was  
cured, she could return to Nerima and pursue Ranma once more. The law  
was no longer behind her, but that couldn't stop a normal pursuit. She  
smiled at the thought, her first smile on a long time. Ranma could still  
yet be hers!  
  
Her hopeful musings were cut short as she noticed the sparring  
match ending. Mousse had pulled off an impressive flip that dropped him  
behind his opponent, and a quick crouch and sweep of the staff was all  
it took to put Fen Wu down. The older man slapped the ground once,  
signaling the end of the match. Mousse pulled the tip of the staff from  
his teacher's throat, then helped the bigger man up.  
  
Even though she was quite a distance away, Shampoo's enhanced  
hearing allowed her to easily eavesdrop on the conversation.  
  
"Very good, Mu Tsu," Fen Wu told him in Chinese. "That will be  
all for today. Go clean up for dinner."  
  
"Yes, Master," Mousse replied, then looked unsure. "Um, you  
haven't really taught me anything for the past couple of weeks. Is my  
training now complete?"  
  
Fun Wu inhaled, then exhaled slowly. "Yes and no. I have  
nothing more to teach you. But, your final test is yet to come, though I  
will only tell you what it is when it is time." He shook his head and  
handed his staff to his student. "Speak no more of this."  
  
Mousse nodded. "Yes, Master." He turned and headed back into  
the cabin.  
  
Shampoo watched him go, somewhat curious at this side of him  
she had never seen before.  
  
"You can come out now," Fen Wu stated without looking in  
Shampoo's direction, catching her by surprise.  
  
[Does he know I'm here?] Shampoo wondered. As if to answer her  
question, Fen Wu turned his gaze to look straight at her.  
  
"Give him a couple more years and Mu Tsu could probably sense  
that you were there as well," the weapons master said. "Though I'm  
curious to know why you've returned, Shan Pu."  
  
Sighing, Shampoo swung out of the trees to land gracefully on  
her feet. "I have returned her because I wanted to," she told him,  
tersely. "One of the elders is working on my cure, and she told me to  
wait here until she had it."  
  
If Fen Wu showed any displeasure at Shampoo's attitude, he  
didn't show it. "Very well. You can stay, but do not cause any trouble  
for my student."  
  
"Hmph," Shampoo snorted at that. "Stupid Mu Tsu is more likely  
to cause trouble."  
  
He turned his back to her without another word, and headed back  
to the cabin. He stopped before reaching the door, however. "There is a  
waterfall half a mile to the west of here. I advise you to clean up  
before dinner." He then entered the cabin and disappeared inside.  
  
With a start, Shampoo realized how she looked. Her fur was dark  
with the coating of dirt and mud, and her once proud mane of purple hair  
was matted and scraggly. While helping with the stealth factor that was  
required for sneaking into Nyuchiehzu, her filthy state was no longer  
needed. Her clothes had been torn with her transformation and subsequent  
battles as well.  
  
Shampoo decided a good bath was just what she needed, and began  
the trek down the western path.  
  
  
  
  
"How long have they been there?" Herb demanded in a quiet, but  
threatening voice that conyeved his displeasure. His position on the  
upper ramparts of the castle gave him an excellent view of the terrain  
that stretched out below.  
  
"I believe they arrived last night, Prince Herb," Lime replied  
in a slightly fearful tone.  
  
Herb frowned. The Musk Dynasty castle had been literally carved  
out of a cliff. The pathway to reach the main gates was only a hundred  
feet across at it's widest point, and it twisted as it wound its way up.  
But at the bottom of the path, there was a small clearing and then a  
thick forest beyond.  
  
What disturbed the Musk Prince, was the fact that there was a  
medium-sized army encampment occupying that small clearing, and it  
seemed to have sprung up overnight. Normally this wouldn't have  
concerned him, as the Musk Castle had withstood the attacks of greater  
armies for extended periods of time, and triumphed every single time.  
The only route was up the path, as the sides and rear of the castle  
consisted of near-vertical mountainside.  
  
But who were they? Joketsuzoku? That didn't make sense to Herb,  
as the last time they had fought with the warrior women, it had been  
over three centuries ago. There were too few of both groups to risk  
making war now, and what would it gain them?  
  
The Phoenix Tribe would have just flown in, and the Mage Clans  
were too scattered and weak to create an army. Of course, that raised  
the possibility that the ones below, were the ones that attacked the  
Mage Clans in the first place.  
  
"Send for Tojiko," Herb commanded, calling for the temporarily-  
appointed leader of the mages that had sought refuge in his castle.  
  
"I'm here, m'lord," came gruff voice from the stairwell. A  
middle-aged man in the standard dark brown robe of the Mage Clans  
emerged from the darkness with Mint at his side. Tojiko was heavy-set,  
but his girth was more muscle than fat, and he also sported a black  
beard to match his thinning hairline. While Herb was not in any way  
Tojiko's Lord, the address was only proper considering the Dragon Prince  
was sheltering them.  
  
"I took the liberty of fetching him, Prince Herb," Mint informed  
his prince.  
  
Herb nodded, then turned back to look out over the valley  
below, the Mage Clan leader coming up beside him. Out of the corner of  
his eye, the Dragon Prince gauged Tojiko's reaction. The tightening of  
the mage's jaw and the slight pallor that came to his cheeks, as well as  
the slightly trembling hands that gripped the stone battlements, told  
Herb all he needed to know.  
  
"It's them?" the Musk Prince asked the Mage Clan leader.  
  
Tojiko nodded. "Yes. Inhuman freaks that proved quite  
impervious to our magic. Nothing we did affected them." He shook his  
head, then turned to Herb. "On behalf of the Mage Clans, I thank you for  
your hospitality Prince Herb, but it is time we left. They are obviously  
here for us and we cannot endanger you or your subjects." He gave short  
bow, then turned to leave.  
  
"Do not insult me," Herb tersely told the mage, causing him to  
stop.  
  
Tojiko turned around hesitantly. "M'lord?"  
  
"I offered you sanctuary, and the Prince of the Musk does not  
offer such a thing lightly," Herb explained. "And I will not be cowed at  
all by anyone. If you and your kin are what these `Rogues' want, then I  
shall deny them. I will not go back on my word."  
  
What Herb had spoken was the truth. Though few people knew of  
the Musk's existance at all, those that did knew they could rely on the  
word of their prince. Promises were not made often, nor lightly, but  
when they were, it was as good as law. If a Musk Prince ever went back  
on his word, then all credibility of the Musk Dynasty would be lost.  
  
Tojiko was unsure. "I am not sure that is a good idea, m'lord.  
I thank you for the offer, but the Musk would be better off if they  
didn't get involved."  
  
"I beg your pardon for interrupting, but someone is coming,"  
came a new voice.  
  
Both men turned to see a wizened and hunched-over old man  
standing several feet away, both having forgotten he was there. His  
owlish features marked him as a hybrid by the name of Sage, the keeper  
of the Musk knowledge. Herb also knew that Sage was one of his father's  
advisors, but since his father died nearly 30 years ago, Sage was  
supposed to be his advisor.  
  
The small group turned to see that a lone figure had indeed  
began the trek up the winding path. At this distance, the figure  
appeared to be merely a black speck, but as it got closer, they were  
able to see it was a man, and that he was not alone. Two other black  
figures followed just behind him.  
  
Reaching the halfway point, the figure stopped and called out.  
"Prince Herb of the Musk, I am General Genshi. I demand you face me!"  
  
"Presumptious, isn't he?" Herb said, somewhat amused.  
  
"And he's chosen the middle of the path for the meeting," Sage  
remarked. "As neutral ground as you can get."  
  
"I do not presume to instruct you, but I would beg you to  
reconsider," Tojiko said uneasily. "This one was part of the attack on  
my clansmen. He is very strong."  
  
Herb forwned at him. "And I told you the Prince of the Musk  
will not be cowed by anyone. I shall see what he wants, and then demand  
he leave Musk territory."  
  
Without another word, and before anyone could stop him, Herb  
leapt off the castle battlements and descended to the ground. His ki  
flared out in a bright greenish-gold, slowing his fall and allowing him  
to gently touch down after the two-hundred foot drop.  
  
As the Dragon Prince of the Musk strode towards the one called  
General Genshi, Herb felt confident in his ability to handle whatever  
may come. If it was a fight, there were precious few who could match his  
power. Saffron was one, though he had received word that the Phoenix  
Prince had been reborn as a baby once more. The other who could match  
him, was a young Japanese boy named Ranma Saotome.  
  
While not as powerful as the Musk Prince, Ranma had shown a  
cunning and ferocity that easily matched Herb's own. That they both had  
shared the same Jusenkyo curse, had made their fights even more  
interesting, even though Herb had cured his own shortly after returning  
to China. In the end though, Herb had been defeated, but instead of  
finishing him off, Ranma showed him mercy. As much as it galled him,  
Herb now owed Ranma a life debt.  
  
Nevertheless, Herb knew that if this stranger held any  
malicious intentions, he would regret ever entering the realm of the  
Musk.  
  
  
-------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
First chapter to the final volume done. Or at least the rough draft of  
it is. All will be revealed as the showdown between light and darkness  
approaches, and you should expect the unexpected. Provided I can have it  
make any sense, that is.  
  
For those that want to know: No, I have no idea how many chapters this  
Volume will be. If past volumes are any indications, there will be at  
least 12, but don't hold me to it. I've got a story to tell, and I'm  
gonna tell it no matter how long it takes me (considering I've been  
writing this thing for over two years).  
  
But, we're on the final leg of the journey, the end is in sight, and  
yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Buckle up, `cause things  
are gonna get interesting!  
  
Hopefully... 


	2. Chapter 2

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
The Phoenix and the Dragon  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
  
"Can... we stop here... to take... a rest?" asked an out-of-  
breath Hikaru Gosunkugi, who promptly collapsed onto a fallen log  
without waiting for a response.  
  
Yuri turned and huffed. "Not again! At this rate, we'll never  
catch up to my brother!"  
  
"Calm down, Yuri-honey," Ukyo soothed, placing a hand on her  
friend's shoulder. "He's not as physically able as the rest of us." She  
wondered at the change in the other girl. Before, Yuri had been  
friendly, cheerful, and bubbly. But ever since this trouble with her  
brother first began, she had begun to become more distressed, upset, and  
short-tempered.  
  
The ninja girl rolled her eyes. "Oh fine. Look, I'm grateful  
you were able to help us track my brother, but I just don't see why you  
had to come along." She was referring to her brother's amulet that  
initially allowed Kenji to find their old house. The Gosunkugi boy had  
been able to magically alter it so that it pointed towards her brother,  
though only she could use it.  
  
Hikaru had wondered why he had come along as well, since  
traveling was not really his thing. The old monk had told him to seek  
out the Mage Clans, and then hinted that journeying with this group  
would lead to that. All he could figure, was that if there was the  
slightest chance he could help Ariko, he would do it. He missed her  
greatly, as she had been his greatest friend and accomplice in the  
magical arts.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Selah ordered, coming to Hikaru's defense and  
sitting down alongside him on the log. "I'm not as strong as you are,  
either!"  
  
"You didn't have to come either!" Yuri countered. She knew that  
Selah had come because the young water mage did care about Kenji as  
well, and wasn't about to be left behind.  
  
"Yuri!" Ukyo reprimanded, somewhat shocked.  
  
"Sorry!" the ninja girl barked, then leapt into a tree to rest  
on a branch away from everyone else. She sensed Konatsu take up a  
position in a tree branch just above her, but he didn't say anything.  
She hadn't entirely forgiven him for letting her brother get away, and  
now he was playing servant and bodyguard for her, in an obvious attempt  
to win back her favor. It was actually starting to get irritating, which  
only contributed to her bad mood.  
  
Back on the ground, Ukyo shook her head, then turned to the two  
mages. "Well, it is getting on towards noon. Why don't you two get a  
fire started and I'll go catch lunch." The chef set her pack down to  
rest against the log, then at a nod from Selah, she headed off the path  
and into the forest, readying a couple of throwing spatulas.  
  
"Are you alright, Hikaru-san?" Selah asked, searching his face.  
  
He nodded, finding the attention that this female was giving  
him somewhat flustering. [Think about Ariko!] he commanded himself. "A-  
ah, I'm f-fine."  
  
She smiled slightly, thinking his shy routine was kinda cute.  
"Well, us mages have gotta stick together." [Think about Kenji!] she  
berated herself.  
  
What followed was one of those awkward silences that you know  
was coming, but could do nothing about. Instead, the pair of adolescents  
thought about two other people entirely.  
  
  
  
  
Miyo sat in her study, contemplating.  
  
Her thoughts we not focused on any one subject, instead  
flitting back and forth on many different things. However, foremost  
among these thoughts were the clear crystal ball resting in its stand on  
the table in front of her, and the small object in her hand. Both were  
enigmas to her, though they were two completely different mysteries.  
  
Or were they?  
  
The old monk had given both to her. The crystal ball had just  
shown up in her study, but after the last story segment, he had revealed  
that it had come from him. On the other hand, the small key in her hand  
had been given to her nearly a week ago from the old man directly. He  
hadn't said a word, just handed it to her. She figured it was her  
responsibility to comprehend the meaning behind it.  
  
So far, touching the key to the crystal ball had done nothing.  
And the cloudless sphere had yet to offer up the promised "last story"  
despite repeated attempts. So what was the key for?  
  
The door to the study opened and a figure dressed in black  
entered. His shadow was not accurately cast from the room's signal lamp,  
but instead seemed to move around of it's own accord.  
  
"Greetings, Toshi-kun," Miyo said. "What brings you by?"  
  
He shrugged. "The folks are off on another spiritual quest  
again."  
  
Miyo nodded. She knew him, perhaps better than anyone else,  
even though he never said much. His parents were never around a lot, as  
they seemed less inclined to deal with the physical and material planes,  
preferring the metaphysical and spiritual ones instead. Which partially  
explained why they did not raise much of a fuss when he was kidnapped by  
the Mage Clans nearly a year ago.  
  
"Anything interesting happening here?" he asked in a casual  
manner as he filled a glass of water from the sink.  
  
The fortuneteller reached up and placed the key on the table.  
"Not really. Despite my efforts, I cannot figure out why the crystal  
ball remains blank to me, nor can I discover what this key is for."  
  
Toshi sat down across from her and picked up the key, studying  
it. It did appear to be a key, cut and shaped from pure sapphire. A  
string had been run through a small hole in the handle, enabling it to  
be worn as sort of a necklace. Also, it could have just been the  
reflection from the lamp on Miyo's table, but the key seemed to glow  
with its own inner light. Toshi chalked it up to his own imagination  
though.  
  
He set it back down on the table. "Well, it obviously unlocks a  
door. Which door is the question." He reached for the glass of water and  
began to drink.  
  
Miyo sighed. "Well, I've done everything I can to try and  
figure it out. Tarot cards, mantras, and even Hikaru's voodoo." She  
smiled suddenly and looked up. "Of course, now that you're here, we  
could try using tantric magic." She was rewarded when the normally  
unflappable spiritualist choked and spit out the water.  
  
Toshi caught her coy grin. "What!?" He knew that tantra was the  
art of using sexual energy for magic.  
  
"Just kidding," Miyo teased. "It's good to see there are some  
things that can get to you."  
  
The spiritualist frowned. "Feh."  
  
The scary part was, he couldn't positively be certain if she  
was really serious or not.  
  
  
  
  
"So, this is the vaunted home of the Musk?"  
  
"Yes, my lord Shogun," Darmondo replied. He turned his gaze, as  
everyone else did, to the large stone castle that was literally carved  
out of a mountainside. It was actually well hidden in this small valley,  
cut off from modern civilization. A narrow pass led into the forested  
plateau, and on the opposite end was the ancient home of the Musk  
Dynasty.  
  
Behind the main line of generals, Kato stood, leaning up  
against a tree while he studied the situation, and more importantly, the  
Shogun. Clad in the same ebony samurai armor as most of the troop, this  
commanding figure seemed to radiate power. But to Kato, it felt  
unnatural. He remembered a week ago, when the Shogun had climbed out the  
swirling vortex in the Rogues sanctuary, his armor scratched and muffed,  
even cracked in some places. Damage that had told of a powerful  
struggle.  
  
But now the Shogun's armor was polished and whole, even the  
black mask under his helmet which covered his face completely, except  
for the eyes. Kato had only gotten a single glimpse of those eyes, but  
they were as jet-black as the armor and seemed somehow hollow or empty.  
But he had never seen the Shogun's face.  
  
Kato's gaze flickered to his companions. Most of the others  
were clad in bits and pieces of the armor, like Zin and Zan. But he  
noticed that Kang had refused, saying he only needed his twin katana  
that were strapped to his back, the hilt of the two weapons poking over  
each shoulder. Mongol had also refused, relying on his giant battle axe  
and huge muscles instead. Kang and Mongol appeared to have known each  
other before coming to work for the Rogues, as they tended to stick  
together much the same as the twin brothers, Zin and Zan.  
  
"Ah, it appears General Genshi has issued the challenge,"  
Darmondo stated, his voice light and amused. "And that must be the  
little Dragon Prince descending from his high throne. This will prove to  
be a most enlightening match."  
  
"I do believe you are right, Darmondo," the Shogun replied that  
mid-range light tenor-ish tone that Kato had become accustomed to. He  
was quite disturbed to hear it, as it was slightly distorted, as if two  
people were speaking at once. And it was nothing like the gruff,  
rumbling voice he expected to hear from the dark warlord.  
  
The Shogun leaned forward slightly and rested his forefingers  
on his chin. "I do believe this will be an interesting match."  
  
  
  
  
Akari dismounted from Katsunishki and let herself into the  
cabin, as had been her habit almost everyday. Her darling Ryoga had been  
staying here for the past couple of months, learning from his sensei. It  
was here that she had finally found him after losing the fight against  
Sakura, and it was here that she had won him back.  
  
She smiled at the memory as she placed her basket full of  
treats on the kitchen table. Being without Ryoga had hurt her so very  
much inside, but when he was with her, she felt a warmness that  
permeated every part of her being and made life seem like heaven.  
  
The sound of kiyahs and grunts could be heard outside, leading  
Akari to conclude they were training in the backyard again. Ryoga sure  
did work hard, she mused. But that was okay, because it just meant that  
he would be hungry for her specially and lovingly prepared pig-shaped  
riceballs. Preparing some tea to go with the food, Akari placed the  
entire lunch on a tray, then headed out back.  
  
Sure enough, Ryoga was sparring against his sensei. She smiled  
in admiration that they danced around each other, striking out with  
kicks and punches that were blocked with an ease that belied the high  
skill involved.  
  
Without warning, Ryoga's sensei backflipped away from his  
student and landed several yards away. Instead of following, Ryoga stood  
there and waited as his teacher pulled several black bandanna's off his  
bald head.  
  
"Are you ready, Ryoga?" the sightless sensei asked.  
  
Ryoga grinned as he spread his feet apart slowly and brought  
his hands up, his fingers half-curled. "Anytime."  
  
Akari began to get a little worried, but told herself that her  
fiance and his teacher did stuff like this all the time and that they  
knew what they were doing. Of course, that didn't prepare her for what  
happened next.  
  
Ryoga's sensei launched bandanna after bandanna, and they spun  
like shuriken as they curved and homed in on their target. Akari  
expected Ryoga to dodge at the last second or launch some of his own. So  
she was caught totally by surprise when Ryoga just stood there and  
allowed all six, incredibly-sharp projectiles to strike at the exact  
same time.  
  
Akari's eyes rolled up into her head as she collapsed.  
  
  
  
  
"State your purpose for imposing your troops on the land of the  
Musk Dynasty," Prince Herb intoned, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"And be quick about it."  
  
"Straight and to the point," General Genshi said, his face  
betraying no emotion. "I can appreciate that. Very well, I shall let you  
know our demands. It has come to our attention that our enemies, the  
Mage Clans, have sought shelter in your castle. They are very dangerous  
and cunning foes, and would not hesitate to betray you and take your  
castle for themselves. My lord Shogun wishes to enter and root them out  
for you."  
  
Herb frowned. The more this Genshi talked, the less Herb liked  
him, but there was something about the man that put the Dragon Prince  
ill at ease. He took a moment to study this emissary, trying to figure  
it out what it was.  
  
A long black cloak was draped on the general's shoulders, not  
quite hiding the black samurai armor underneath. His short, equally-dark  
hair was tied into a short top knot, and matched his the short mustache.  
His angular face was hard, yet revealed nothing of the inner workings  
which motivated him. All in all, he presented a picture of something...  
otherworldly; something unnatural. No doubt, the intent was to unnerve  
his opponents, but Herb was not a man to affected by such a display.  
  
"The Mage Clans are under the protection of the Musk Dynasty,"  
Herb replied at last. "I thank you for your concern, but I assure you  
the Prince of the Musk is more than capable of handling the matter."  
  
The General's black eyes flashed. "I am afraid that will not be  
possible. The Mage Clans are an enemy of the Rogues, and must be  
eliminated at all costs. To stand against my liege is sure folly. I'm  
sure a noble ruler such as yourself, can see the best way to help your  
people is to cooperate with us."  
  
"I have heard enough," Herb told him, his voice rising slightly  
and not hiding the irritation he felt. "Tell your Shogun to take your  
troops and go. The Musk shall not be intimidated by the likes of mere  
dogs like you."  
  
Genshi's ebony mustache twitched slightly, the only outside  
sign of his inward emotions. "I'm sorry you feel that way.' He flipped  
back his cloak and reached behind his body, bringing out a small scythe  
in each hand. The handles were about eight inches in length, with  
curving ten inch crescent blades that twinkled in the sunlight. "But my  
Shogun will not be denied. Face me, Prince of the Musk, and if you win,  
we shall withdraw. But if you lose, not only will you forfeit the Mage  
Clan members you protect, but your life and the lives of your subjects."  
  
Herb smiled grimly and let his ki begin to swirl and grow  
around him. "I am the descendant of a long line of Dragons. Very few can  
rival my power. It would not be wise for you to foolishly challenge me.  
But if you insist, the Musk Prince will accommodate you."  
  
  
  
  
"How was your match with our son, dear?" Nodoka asked as her  
husband entered the house.  
  
"The boy has learned much, and there is not much more I can  
teach him," Genma replied in an even tone as he sat down by the table.  
"Physically, he has surpassed me, or at least he thinks he has."  
  
Nodoka frowned slightly as she entered the dining room to sit  
across from her husband. Normally, Genma's voice was filled with pride  
at Ranma's abilities, but this time his voice was carefully controlled.  
"What happened, Genma? What is going on?"  
  
To her surprise, Genma sighed heavily as he studied the hands  
in his lap. "Ranma has long said I have nothing left to teach him.  
Today, I decided to challenge that assumption of his."  
  
Nodoka's hand flew to cover her open mouth, her eyes showing  
surprise and worry. "Oh, Genma, you didn't! Why now? Of all the times to  
do this, surely it can wait..."  
  
"No," Genma told her firmly, shaking his head. His eyes came up  
to meet hers. "It has to be now. It might very well be too late if I  
wait. With what the old monk told us, and the history of our clan, I  
have to believe that the event we have waited for is close at hand." He  
pushed his glasses up with his right forefinger as he closed his eyes.  
"In two weeks, either I will defeat Ranma and teach him that the student  
has yet to surpass his master, or he will defeat me and prove that he is  
ready for the challenge ahead."  
  
"Oh, Genma," Nodoka whispered, somewhat brokenly. "What am I  
going to do with you?" Her gaze dropped. "And my son, my poor son." Her  
deep blue eyes flashed. "Promise me you will be careful?"  
  
Genma kept his eyes closed. "You know I cannot." He didn't  
bother to explain further, knowing that he could not make such a  
promise. He had never made things easy for his son before, and he was  
not about to start now.  
  
This had to be a fight only one of them could walk away from.  
  
  
  
  
"Akari, are you alright?"  
  
The young teenage girl moaned as she felt a wet cloth applied  
to her forehead. "Ryo-chan, I had the worst nightmare." She blinked her  
eyes open, relieved to see her fiance's worried face looking down at  
her. His blind sensei was next to him.  
  
"It's okay, Akari-chan," Ryoga soothed. "You just fainted."  
  
Akari slowly sat up with the help of her fiance. "I dreamed  
your sensei killed you-" she stopped, now seeing the blind teacher  
retying several black bandanna's around his head.  
  
Ryoga's gaze turned sheepish while his sensei chuckled. "Um,  
sorry you had to see that. I should have warned you."  
  
"It was real?" Akari asked in disbelief. Her eyes flicked back  
and forth from the bandanna's to her beloved's unmarred clothes. To re-  
assure herself, she let her hand brush against the front of Ryoga's  
shirt. "But... I saw... how?"  
  
"What you saw was the Hibiki-Ryuu Ougi: Genbu Dogi Bouei," the  
sightless old man explained. "It allows the user to make his clothes as  
hard as steel, by focusing the power of his ki and the earth. And Ryoga  
managed to master it in under a month," he added with a hint of pride.  
  
Ryoga sat down beside Akari and closed his eyes, using a  
bandanna to wipe the sweat off his brow. "But it's incredibly draining.  
I can't keep it up for more than a 30 seconds at most."  
  
Akari thought over. [The Hibiki School Ultimate Secret? Black  
Turtle Battle Costume Defense?] Considering what it did, she supposed it  
made sense. Then an odd thought struck her. [Wait a minute, Hibiki  
school?] She looked up and fixed the old man with a curious gaze.  
  
"Sensei, if that technique is from the Hibiki school, why do you  
know it?"  
  
Ryoga's eyes snapped open. "Sensei?"  
  
If anything, the old man's expression became even more amused.  
"Oh? Didn't I tell you? I'm your grandfather, Hibiki Toramasa. I'm  
actually surprised you father didn't tell you about me." The old man  
smirked, the sun glinting off his bald head.  
  
"But... but... why didn't you tell me this before!?" Ryoga  
demanded to know, clearly surprised. "And I thought my grandparents were  
dead!"  
  
"You mean you never knew his name?" Akari asked her fiance.  
  
Ryoga's looked embarrassed. "It, uh, sorta never, um, came up."  
  
Akari blinked at that.  
  
Toramasa chuckled some more. "What made you think I was dead?  
No, don't tell me, its meaningless. In any event, you've learned the  
last of the family secret techniques. I'm just disappointed your father  
didn't teach you, but I have no complaints." He grinned, his teeth  
slightly yellow and a bit crooked. "It was fun! You were a good student,  
once you gave up that silly revenge idea."  
  
"Um, yeah," Ryoga replied sheepishly, looking down. He really  
hoped his grandfather didn't find out that Ryoga was still planning on  
challenging Ranma to a formal duel, to make up for the missed one Ryoga  
was four days late to, all those years ago.  
  
A sudden thought struck the lost boy, and his head came up  
again. "So, does this mean I'm a master of our family's school?"  
  
This time, Toramasa burst out laughing. "A master!? Oh ho,  
that's rich!" The old blind man arched backwards, as his loud, rolling,  
belly laugh sounded throughout the yard. He eventually wound down,  
wiping a tear from his closed eyes. "No, not yet. You must pass these  
techniques on, before you can be considered a master."  
  
Ryoga laughed confidently. "Ha! That's easy!"  
  
Toramasa cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Then who will be your  
student? Your fiancee perhaps?"  
  
That brought up both teens short.  
  
Akari hesitantly pointed at herself. "Me? But I don't think..."  
  
Ryoga was just as hesitant. "I don't know..."  
  
"If you cannot teach your fiancee, how can you teach your  
children?" Toramasa told his student in a gruff voice. "Your father  
could not do this. And I think Akari-chan is capable of learning at  
least some of the techniques."  
  
"Sensei?" Ryoga questioned, glancing back and forth from his  
sensei to his fiancee.  
  
"Her ki, Ryoga," Toramasa explained. "While not as strong as  
yours, it is stronger than that of a normal girl. You did say she does  
have some martial training." He smirked. "And she has been wearing your  
bandannas."  
  
Akari self-consciously fingered the yellow and black striped  
bandannas she wore, the one around her forehead and the one that tied  
off her hair into a ponytail. "But... Are you sure..."  
  
The blind old man sighed, suddenly looking his age instead of  
the spry, energetic teacher he usually appeared to be. "At any rate, I  
think this is enough discussion for now." He grinned as his expression  
reverted to his usual happy-go-lucky facial cast. "I do believe Akari-  
chan has made us a lovely picnic lunch!"  
  
  
  
  
"I wonder what they're talking about?" Lime wondered aloud.  
  
Tojiko's grip on the ancient stone battlements tightened. "Most  
likely, they are discussing my clansmen." [But will Herb give us up? Or  
is the word of the Musk as good as I've heard?]  
  
"Well then, why hasn't Herb beat him up?" Mint inquired.  
  
"I doubt very much that this will end without a fight," Sage  
explained solemnly. "Young Prince Herb, while powerful, still carries a  
strong air of arrogance. And this army has tracked your clansmen, Sir  
Tojiko, all the way here. I do not think they shall give up so easily."  
  
"I fear you are right, old one," the mage replied. "And I think  
the time of talking has come to an end."  
  
The small group quieted down, as the man in black armor pulled  
his cape back, and withdrew two weapons from behind his back.  
  
"It begins," Sage intoned.  
  
  
  
  
"If you will not leave our lands, I shall remove you myself,"  
Herb told the general while raising his hand, palm open. "Begone!"  
  
The smirk on Genshi's face lasted all of a second, before power  
exploded from Herb's hand, engulfing the other man in a spectacular  
blast of green ki energy. The ground where the General was standing  
exploded in a shower of rocks and dirt, obscuring Herb's opponent.  
  
The Dragon Prince allowed a grim smile to appear on his face as  
he lowered his hand. "Pity, he never really had a chance."  
  
"Oh, I have more than a chance, little Prince," came a sardonic  
voice.  
  
Herb's eyes widened as the dust cleared, revealing the general  
still standing, his arms crossed in front of his body in a guarding  
gesture. "I see you are made of sterner stuff. Very few can handle my  
level of power. But can you handle my full strength?"  
  
"Let us see!" the other man declared, then sprung forward,  
scythe's arcing towards the Dragon Prince it incredible speeds.  
  
Herb blocked one on his gauntlet, then sidestepped the second  
one. The weapon didn't completely miss, tearing a long gash in his cape.  
The Musk Prince backpedaled as Genshi continued the assault, until an  
opening appeared in the general's offensive. Herb took it, slipping in a  
fist to rain several dozen blows on his opponent's armored chest. The  
ebony breastplate held, but Genshi was forced back from the force of the  
kinetic energy.  
  
The Dragon Prince followed up on the assault by leaping in the  
air. "Ryu Sei Hisho!" Unleashing the Dragon Spirit Flight, Herb arced  
around Genshi, rebounding a dozen ki sphere's off the ground to pelt the  
general from all sides.  
  
Genshi snarled as he was buffeted back and forth by Herb's  
attack, but managed to weather the assault. As his enemy landed, Genshi  
sprung forward once more, nearly catching Herb off-guard. Still, the  
Prince was able to get his defenses back up, blocking a flurry of scythe  
strikes on his arm guards. Sparks flew as the blades sliced into armor,  
showering both combatants in a rain of glowing embers.  
  
Herb retreated once more under Genshi's dance of blades,  
finding the other man's defense much tighter this time. Growling in  
anger, Herb lashed out left arm, blocking another strike on his gauntlet  
while simultaneously gathering ki into his hand. There was flash of  
light as the Dragon Prince's ki lanced into a green blade, leaving a  
dull green trail diagonally up Genshi's chest.  
  
The surprised general was forced back a step, then his  
expression turned back into a smirk as the line of ki faded, with no  
apparent damage. "Now do you see? Your power is ineffective against the  
strength of our Shogun."  
  
Herb's countenance clouded, his ire rising. [That blow should  
have severed him in half!] "The battle is not yet over."  
  
"Indeed, it is not," Genshi agreed.  
  
There was a slight pause, then both men rushed forward,  
clashing once more in their deadly duel of flying blades and flashing  
green energy. In the midst of their confrontation, Herb fired a powerful  
ki blast straight down, detonating the ground in a spectacular shower of  
stone and rock, and propelling the two men into the air. Herb was  
slightly less effected by the move, being prepared for it, but the spray  
of sharp stone still stung where it impacted skin. Still, he was able to  
lash out with several powerful blows, rocking the general's head up. He  
followed up with a couple of bone-crushing punches to his midsection and  
a spin kick to the general's shin, using all of his ki-enhanced  
strength. Herb grinned as he felt the armor buckle slightly.  
  
Then Genshi struck back as the Earth reasserted it's force to  
bring the two men down, forcing Herb back on the defensive. But this  
time he didn't have the ground to brace him against the general's  
powerful blows. The Dragon Prince spun backwards in mid-air, taking a  
slice on his left leg before he could reassert his ki energies and  
stabilize himself, then lash out with another Dragon Energy Sword to  
counter Genshi's attack.  
  
The head of one of the scythes went spinning away, but that  
didn't stop the general from landing a backfist on the prince's cheek,  
leaving his chest open for the other weapon. Herb recovered and tried to  
back off, but felt a cool breeze caress the light wound on his chest.  
Enraged, he brought his hand up, gathering as much of his ki as he  
could. The ensuing blast sent Genshi tumbling away to crash into the  
ground, but the recoil caused Herb to land badly as well. His ankle  
stretched too far and the Musk Prince fell.  
  
Silence settled over the battlefield as the two warriors lay in  
the dirt, temporarily unable to continue their attacks.  
  
  
  
  
"Ranma?" Natsume asked. "What is it?"  
  
"I... don't know," he replied, confused.  
  
The two were in the dojo with Akane and Kurumi, practicing  
their skills together after there half day of school, when Ranma  
suddenly stopped. His wife and the new youngest Tendo stopped their  
sparring as well, sensing something going on. Ranma walked to the open  
door and scanned the horizon, not knowing what he was looking for.  
  
Akane came up beside him, her brow creased in concern. "Ranma?"  
  
Ranma shrugged, not knowing how to phrase what he had felt.  
"Something's wrong," he said at last.  
  
"What's wrong?" Akane inquired gently. "I don't sense anything."  
  
Behind them, Natsume and Kurumi glanced at each other in  
confusion, but they remained silent.  
  
"I just felt something awhile ago," Ranma repeated. "As if  
something had gone wrong, something powerful. I can't explain it." He  
shook his head.  
  
"I don't feel anything," Kurumi offered.  
  
"Nor I," Natsume added. "Perhaps you are merely mistaken."  
  
Akane bit her lip, equally mystified. "Ranma..." She placed a  
hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I just know, that whatever happened, it wasn't good," he said  
after a few moments. His gaze turned to the setting sun. "Not good at  
all."  
  
  
  
----------------------  
  
Author's notes:  
Sorry this took so long to get out, but I believe I overextended myself  
on the stories I'm working on. Can't say when the next chapter will come  
out, but then, you know that by now. ^_^  
  
As always, if you have any questions, comments, and/or death threats,  
please feel free to send them along! 


	3. Chapter 3

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
The Phoenix and the Dragon  
Chapter 3  
  
  
  
  
"Prince Herb!" came the stereo call from both Mint and Lime, as  
they leapt to the top of the stone battlements and prepared to descend.  
  
"Stop!" commanded the elderly Sage. The single spoken word was  
enough to halt both Musk warriors in their tracks. "This battle is  
Prince Herb's alone. You cannot interfere."  
  
"But, it's over, isn't it?" Mint questioned.  
  
"Mint is right," Lime concurred. "We have to help Prince Herb  
now!"  
  
Sage shook his head. "This battle is far from over." He  
gestured back to the battle where the two combatants were starting to  
regain their feet.  
  
Tojiko frowned. "You may wish to rethink that decision, Sir  
Sage." The stocky Earth mage leaned forward, studying Herb and Genshi.  
"Something doesn't feel right."  
  
The owlish Musk librarian narrowed his eyes, trying to see what  
Tojiko was talking about. Everything looked normal at first, but then he  
saw it. Herb teetered a bit as he stood up, appearing to be a little  
shaken. Based on how the battle had progressed so far, Sage believed  
that Herb was doing well; he had taken stronger blows in previous fights  
and come out just fine.  
  
But something about Herb's movements made the elder Musk worry.  
Tojiko was right; something was wrong. But what? Sage came to a few  
conclusions, none of them good, and could think of only one thing to  
say:  
  
"Oh, dear."  
  
  
  
  
Hinako Ninomiya collapsed into her couch and studied her  
reflection in the vanity mirror. Thanks to the bowl of fighting fish, it  
was the face of her older body that stared back at her.  
  
Today had been a school day. Well, since it was Saturday, it  
had actually been a half-day, but it was still a school day to the  
usually energetic teacher. However, for the past couple of weeks her  
attitude had been considerably less than enthusiastic, as she wondered  
what the point of her continued presence was anymore.  
  
She had prided herself on being a strict disciplinarian, having  
cleaned up three schools prior to Furinken. Molding delinquent students  
into mature young adults used to bring her such joy, but now, not even  
draining a miscreant brought her much excitement. She knew why that was,  
too.  
  
Delinquents at Furinken were few and far between. Really, the  
only one left was Ranma Saotome, and he had beaten her at every turn. In  
addition, he would most likely be graduating soon. In the very near  
future, Hinako would no longer be needed at Furinken High School. It was  
time to move on, as there was nothing holding her here.  
  
Three weeks ago, that wouldn't have been true, she realized  
with much sadness, as she smoothed her dress over her voluptuous curves.  
She took pride in the good looks of her older body and the way it drove  
the boys mad with lust, but she never would have developed anything past  
a student-teacher relationship with any male.  
  
However, all that changed when she met Soun Tendo. She closed  
her eyes and pictured his handsome face in her mind. He was kind and  
attractive, and he had been so nice to her. For the first time, she was  
afraid of someone finding out that the childish girl and the mature  
woman were the same person. He would obviously think she was a freak and  
then reject her. That was Hinako's worst fear, and it had come to pass.  
He had witnessed her transformation, and the little teacher had run  
away, having seen the surprise and disbelief in his eyes.  
  
The curvaceous teacher moved to the opposite end of the couch,  
away from the fishbowl, and felt her body revert to its diminutive child  
form. Hinako Ninomiya then closed her eyes against the wetness forming  
in them, realizing that, no, there was nothing left her for her here at  
all.  
  
  
  
  
"Impressive," Genshi complimented, observing the severed handle  
of one of his scythes. He winced slightly at the pain in his chest, then  
wiped the thin stream of blood coming from his cracked lip with his  
sleeve, and grinned. "It's been awhile since I've faced such a  
formidable opponent, one who's blows could penetrate my armor."  
  
Herb glowered at his opponent, resting his hand a large rock to  
steady himself. With the exception of the slice along his right leg and  
the diagonal one across his chest, he was relatively untouched. Why was  
he feeling a strange tingle, then?  
  
"The Musk prince offers you one last chance to withdraw," Herb  
offered. "I have seen your strength, and it cannot match mine."  
  
Genshi grinned evilly. "Actually, it should be me offering the  
chance to surrender. For you see, I already have you beat. Allow me to  
demonstrate!"  
  
With that, the Rogue General sprung forward with his remaining  
blade. Herb smirked and raised his hand. A brilliant blast of green ki  
exploded from his palm and engulfed Genshi, but the general emerged from  
it seemingly unscathed. Herb was surprised, but not because Genshi had  
withstood it. The Dragon Prince had put everything he had into that  
blast, hoping to send the general flying all the way back to his camp;  
it should have been much more powerful. For a split second, he wondered  
what was wrong, then Genshi attacked.  
  
Again, sparks flew as the remaining scythe glanced off Herb's  
gauntlets, but the general had altered his attack pattern somewhat,  
adding various level kicks and punches to his offensive dance. Herb  
tried to block them all and retaliate, but as time went on, he was  
forced to block more and strike back less. What's more, he found his  
movements growing sluggish. A look into his adversary's eyes showed that  
Genshi knew it, too.  
  
Herb growled, then twirled with as much speed as he could  
muster, letting both hands grow ki-blades. He had to take a punch to the  
wound on his chest and a savage kick to his shin to pull it off, but his  
planned maneuver succeeded. The second scythe was batted from Genshi's  
hand, while the other ki-blade cut into the underside of the general's  
right arm. The Rogue snarled as he backed away, holding his injured arm.  
  
"You'll pay for that!" Genshi snarled.  
  
The dragon prince let the ki-blades dissipate, as he backed up  
to rest against a boulder, feeling dizzy for a second.  
  
The General's snarl turned into a mocking grin. "Though I can  
see you are already paying for it. Are you feeling well, Prince? Maybe  
you should lie down?"  
  
"Would did you do to me?" Herb demanded to know, steadying  
himself. Feeling a sharp stab of pain in his chest and leg, Herb glanced  
down, shocked to see the red stripe across his pectorals was now black.  
  
"It's a special poison, Prince, coated on the ends of my  
weapons," Genshi explained. "Normal mortals would have been felled  
within mere moments. I gather your dragon ancestry has given you a much  
greater constitution. How long will you last, I wonder?"  
  
Herb's eyes flashed with anger. "You cannot beat me in a fair  
fight, so you resort to using common tricks and cheats. You have no  
honor."  
  
"What use is honor if you're dead?" Genshi asked. "This was a  
fight, little Dragon Prince. The winner lives, and the loser dies. Given  
that choice, I will choose to live every time. Honor plays no part in  
that."  
  
Herb could only growl in seething fury and hatred, as he felt  
himself drop to one knee.  
  
  
  
  
"Well, it looks like the plan is proceeding on schedule,"  
Darmondo observed. He turned to the Shogun, respectfully dropping to one  
knee and bowing his head. "With your permission, I will go ahead with  
the second portion."  
  
The Shogun's head nodded slowly. "Very well, proceed. But do  
not fail me."  
  
"I am loyal to the Shogun, from now until death," the  
necromancer replied. He stood, covered his body completely with his  
ebony, rune-inscribed cloak, then faded from view.  
  
Kato observed the exchange and the wizard's departure, his brow  
furrowing in confusion. This was the first he had heard of a second  
portion to the plan. He just thought that Genshi was going to defeat  
Herb, then the Shogun could claim the remaining mages in his castle.  
  
[I should have known there was more to this then they let on,]  
Kato realized. [But what is it?]  
  
Whatever it was, Kato knew there was nothing to be done. He had  
not yet learned what he needed to know. He had joined the Rogues  
willingly and pledged to serve them, and for now, that's just what he  
planned to do.  
  
  
  
  
Karuma slammed another book shut and coughed at the dust that  
rose. "Stupid dusty books."  
  
The old birdman looked up and frowned. "Be careful with that!  
Some of these books are thousands of years old."  
  
"But none of them have anything on Captain Kiima's illness," the  
young phoenix warrior complained, leaning his right elbow on the table  
and resting his cheek in his hand. "None of these stupid books know  
anything."  
  
"The answer is here," the elderly librarian countered. "Of that,  
I'm sure."  
  
Karuma snorted. "Yeah, right. All these books are useless."  
  
"This library contains all the knowledge of our ancestors, from  
Saffron's first transformation through many generations afterward." The  
old birdman sighed. "The answer to Kiima's condition is surely contained  
within." [At least, searching for it will keep you out of trouble,  
leaving you with less time to annoy your captain.]  
  
"Maybe." The younger, tan-skinned warrior didn't looked  
convinced, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Shut up and grab another volume." The elderly Phoenix librarian  
ruffled his feathers and returned to his own book, but he had no sooner  
started to read, then a particular passage caught his attention. "What  
did you say were her symptoms again?"  
  
Karuma paused after thumping another large tome on the table in  
front of him. "What? Oh, uh she gets weak suddenly, and even passes out  
sometimes. But the rest of the time, she's just fine. However, it seems  
to be happening more and more."  
  
"And what about her cursed form?"  
  
Karuma blinked. "What about it?" He scratched his head. "Come  
to think about it, it does tend to happen in her cursed form more often.  
But what has that got to do with anything?"  
  
The elderly birdman didn't respond, but instead eagerly  
motioned the younger boy over. "I had a suspicion when you first  
mentioned her weakness episodes to me. To be honest, I realized her  
particular curse could be a problem back when she first acquired it. But  
when she suffered no adverse effects, I assumed I was mistaken."  
  
"Then this book is..?" Karuma prodded, looking over the passages  
on the pages. The language was old, and he could only make out scattered  
words.  
  
The old Phoenix librarian nodded. "About Jusenkyo, correct.  
This particular passage is what I was searching for. According to this,  
when a new spring is made, if a spring already exists for it, then the  
new one becomes more detailed. In Kiima's case, Jusenkyo had a spring of  
drowned young girl. Hence, we were able to use it make an exact physical  
duplicate of Akane Tendo."  
  
"So what does this have to do with Captain Kiima?"  
  
"Everything! If Kiima had killed the Tendo girl in that spring,  
there would have been no problems. Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't."  
  
Karuma shrugged. "She said she wanted to keep her alive as  
possible insurance against the other landling. The one called Ranma."  
  
The elder birdman nodded. "Yes, and that does make sense. But  
it would have just as fine to kill her anyway and use the idea that she  
was still alive to motivate the Saotome boy. I wish I knew what exactly  
happened at Jusenkyo..."  
  
"Captain Kiima never told us," Karuma replied. He remembered  
asking about it, but Kiima merely gave him a cold stare that implied in  
no uncertain terms that he should never mention it again.  
  
"Anyway, the fact that she is still alive, is what's causing  
Kiima problems now. Though I wonder why it's showing up now, nearly a  
year after the fact? Something must have changed, but what?"  
  
Karuma blinked. "Wait a minute, so, you know what's wrong with  
her, and how to cure her!?"  
  
The elder Phoenix librarian nodded sagely, slowly closing the  
tome. "Yes. In order to save Kiima, the landling known as Akane Tendo  
must die."  
  
  
  
  
"Die!"  
  
General Genshi was enveloped within the flash of brilliant ki  
energy, and then an explosion which kicked up a large amount of dirt and  
dust.  
  
Herb sank down to one knee, panting heavily. That shot had  
taken the remainder of his strength, and if it didn't work, he was in  
trouble. Of course, he already knew he was in trouble, thanks to the  
poison he could feel pulsing through his veins. He needed time to rest  
and recuperate if he was going to purge it from his system, but he knew  
he'd never get to the castle before Genshi finished him. Actually, he  
didn't think he'd be able to get to the castle at all in his severely  
weakened condition.  
  
"Not good enough!" Genshi shouted, bursting from within the  
smoke and dust to nail Herb with a powerful right cross. The Dragon  
Prince's head was rocked sideways, blood and spittle flying.  
  
The Rogue Warrior followed it up with a left cross, then spun  
and lashed out with a spin kick then sent his opponent skidding across  
the dirt path, stopping perilously near the edge. Just a few feet away,  
lurked the cliff that dropped at least one hundred feet.  
  
Herb struggled to get up, but only managed to rise on his hands  
and knees. Much-needed air was driven from his lungs as Genshi swung his  
steel-toed boot into Herb's stomach, causing the Musk Prince to collapse  
once more. Genshi sneered at his fallen opponent, then picked him up and  
dragged him to the cliff edge.  
  
"I wonder, can a Dragon Prince survive a hundred foot drop?" he  
asked in a conversational tone. "I'm actually rather curious, aren't  
you?"  
  
"ROGA RYUSEI DAN!"  
  
"What...!?" Genshi dropped his opponent and leapt away, nimbly  
avoiding the hail of thrown knives, except for the few that bounced  
harmlessly off his armor. "How dare you interf-"  
  
Lime's right fist cut off the rest of the general's statement.  
The left fist further occupied Genshi's attention, and then Lime brought  
both hands together for a downward piledriving blow that sent he general  
to his knees.  
  
But the Rogue Warrior wasn't out of it, proving that fact by  
grabbing both of Lime's wrists and standing back up. The Musk boy  
snarled as he applied his considerable strength to break free, but  
Genshi's grip didn't budge.  
  
"A mere tiger whelp attempts to challenge me?" Genshi stated,  
amused. "Pathetic." With one hand, the Rogue General tossed Lime several  
dozen yards away. "Begone. I must finish your liege lord first, and then  
I may be persuaded to play with you."  
  
Genshi turned to where he had left Herb, only to see a smallish  
wolf boy attempting to half-carry, half-drag the Dragon Prince away.  
Seeing that he had been discovered, Mint gently dropped the body and  
unleashed a hail of knives, forcing the general to shield his face. When  
the storm of steel ended and he could see again, Genshi realized the boy  
in the tiger-striped clothing was carrying Herb over his shoulder as he  
made a break for the castle.  
  
"Come back here!" Genshi demanded, beginning to give chase. "I  
will not be denied my prize!"  
  
Mint blurred into existence right in Genshi's path. "Roga  
Ryusei Dan!"  
  
The hail of knives was sparser this time, and only slowed the  
Rogue General down a little. He even managed to pluck a few of them out  
of the air and toss them back. The wolf boy easily dodged them, however,  
as well as the piledriving fist Genshi had intended to squash him.  
  
"Nyah, nyah!" Mint taunted, neatly avoiding the general's  
attacks. "Can't touch me!"  
  
"When I get my hands on you, boy," Genshi threatened in a low  
voice, "You'll regret your interference."  
  
The flash of light was Genshi's only warning, but he managed to  
parry the sword strikes on his gauntlets. The wound on the underside of  
his right arm flared in pain as Mint managed to nick it. Snarling,  
Genshi reached out and grabbed the blade with his bare left hand. Blood  
trickled down the length of the weapon. Mint attempted to free it, but  
that attempt cost him.  
  
The split second he was standing still, Genshi landed a  
powerful uppercut with his right hand. Despite the fact that his arm was  
injured, it was still enough to send the youth flying up the mountain  
path.  
  
It was only then that Genshi realized his mistake.  
  
The tiger boy carrying Herb had made it back to the castle, and  
was racing inside across the lowered drawbridge. Growling in anger, the  
Rogue General sprinted up the inclined trail. If he couldn't get into  
the castle to finish off Herb, he would settle for the wolf boy. Someone  
was going to die today.  
  
But it was not to be.  
  
A dozen feet from his target, the ground began to tremble.  
Genshi cursed as he temporarily lost his footing. By the time he  
recovered, a large earthen wall had been erected between him and the  
wolf boy, and it was still growing. The angered warrior-general leapt  
anyway, to no effect; the wall grew higher than he could jump.  
  
Landing, Genshi's gaze locked in on the stocky, brown-robed  
mage standing atop the castle's battlements, with hands raised. The  
deathly glare lasted for several long moments, then Genshi turned and  
walked down the mountain, his black cape flapping behind him.  
  
  
  
  
Atop the ancient Musk battlements, Tojiko took a shaky step  
backwards. The exertion involved in raising that high stone wall had  
taken all of his reserves and then some. And the look the Rogue General  
had given him, he would not soon forget. In fact, he remembered seeing a  
similar look directed against his friend, Taynar, during the battle in  
their Tibetan home.  
  
Tojiko never saw Taynar again.  
  
"Are you alright Sir Tojiko?" Sage asked, offering a hand to  
steady the Earth mage.  
  
"I... I will be fine," Tojiko replied, waving him off. He  
glanced down to where to Musk guards were helping Mint back into the  
castle. "I think it is your Master that will need help now. If any of my  
mages can be of assistance, you need only ask. "  
  
Sage nodded, his owlish features looking grim. He then turned  
and departed down the stone stairwell to attend to his Prince.  
  
Tojiko stayed where he was for several long moments, gazing out  
over the top of his wall. In the distance, he could see the black spot  
that was Genshi and his two aides, rejoining the army down below. As he  
wiped the sweat from his brow, he couldn't shake the feeling of tragedy  
and bad vibes he felt emanating he from the Rogue encampment. Death hung  
like a pallor over that area, but for a brief moment while he was using  
the full extent of his magic, he felt something else, something that  
surprised him greatly.  
  
Intermixed in the hatred and disgust, Tojiko detected a small  
spark of profound sadness such as he had never experienced before.  
  
For a brief moment, he wondered were it came from, they shook  
it off as he turned to head back inside the castle. He needed rest, and  
he had a feeling that this mystery was not going to be solved now.  
Still, as he descend the stone steps, he couldn't help but feel as  
though this sense was in some way significant.  
  
  
  
  
"You failed," came the almost inhuman voice from beneath the  
devilish mask. "The Musk Prince still lives."  
  
Genshi stopped, standing directly to the side of the Shogun,  
but facing back toward the camp. "My poison should finish the job."  
  
Kato smoked his pipe from the shadow of a nearby tree, watching  
this altercation with some curiosity. The General known as Genshi was a  
formidable fighter, and he almost doubted if his own martial art  
abilities would be a match.  
  
"And if it does not, what will you do?" There was a tint of  
accusation in the almost-dual sounding voice. "I want the Musk  
destroyed, utterly!"  
  
Genshi's eyes closed, a vein on his forehead throbbing  
slightly. "I will not fail again."  
  
"See that you do not!" the Dark Shogun commanded, eyes never  
leaving the ancient Musk castle, now cut off via a large earthen wall.  
"The Musk will be eliminated for all time, as their ways disgust me, and  
in time the people of Mt. Phoenix shall be brought to heel, to prevent  
the rise of Saffron."  
  
"And the warrior woman tribe?" Genshi prompted.  
  
Instead of answering, the Shogun was quiet for several  
moments." They shall be left alone for now, though I have a feeling I  
will need to take control of them. They did oppose me long ago, after  
all."  
  
Genshi merely nodded, but was prevented from saying more due to  
a flash of black light. Darmondo had returned, and Kato was surprised by  
the burnt and destroyed patches on the sorcerer's cloak.  
  
"Were you successful?" the Shogun asked.  
  
"The mages within discovered me," Darmondo explained, while  
bringing out an object from within his cloak, "and they proved to be  
quite troublesome. But, as you can see, I managed to obtain the  
artifacts." The sorcerer made a show of kneeling and placing the two  
objects into his Master's hands.  
  
Kato gasped lightly as he recognized the ladle and bucket. [Was  
this their original goal?] he wondered. [If so, why?]  
  
The Shogun's eyes twinkled. "The Chitsuon. You have done well,  
sorcerer. With this, I can realize my goals much sooner. Come, we have  
preparations to make."  
  
The trio turned and departed into the camp, leaving Kato alone  
in the tree. He would have followed, but even his abilities wouldn't  
have allowed him to remain undetected in the midst of the encampment.  
  
Instead, we thought about what he had learned, and why the  
cold-water ladle was important to them. He knew it had the power to lock  
a person into their Jusenkyo-cursed form, but he was unable to determine  
how that would help them. Was there someone they needed to lock in it's  
cursed form? If so, who? And why?  
  
Kato shook his head and took another long toke on his pipe,  
exhaling the smoke in a long, protracted breath. There was some pieces  
here that he was missing, but he couldn't fathom what they might be. He  
needed more information, but all he could do right now was hang around,  
and hope it would all be revealed.  
  
He was long practiced in the art of self-preservation, having  
lived for over a century, and he intended to weather the coming storm no  
matter which side emerged victorious.  
  
  
  
--------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
Hmmm, didn't have much of the regular cast this chapter, but I needed to  
conclude the Herb/Genshi fight. I'll have more of Ranma, Akane, Shampoo  
and all the rest next chapter, which will hopefully be out in a  
reasonable timeframe, though I'll be getting Relative Peace Part 4 out  
next. 


	4. Chapter 4

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
The Phoenix and the Dragon  
Chapter 4  
  
  
  
  
Akane retreated under the onslaught of punches, shifting from  
side to side as she dodged, deflected, and blocked them as best she  
could. Her opponent suddenly broke the rhythm by lashing out with a  
powerful reverse kick aimed at her chest. Akane dropped under it,  
sweeping out with her right foot to trip up her opponent's grounded leg.  
She then planted her hands as she rotated, pushing her lower body off  
the ground and swinging both her legs back around to connect solidly  
with her falling adversary.  
  
Akane stood up slowly as the older man hit the ground several  
feet away. When he didn't immediately rise, she began to worry a little,  
and walked over to check on him.  
  
"Daddy?" she asked, shaking his shoulder. "Are you alright?"  
  
A hand clasped her right wrist, and the next thing Akane knew,  
she was flying across the clearing. She tried to twist her body to land  
on her feet, but the throw had been low-level and fast, and she  
unceremoniously landed on her back.  
  
*Thump!* "Ow..." Akane's vision swam a little.  
  
"Are *you* alright, daughter?" Soun inquired, his voice coming  
from several yards away.  
  
Akane managed to wave one hand at him, indicating she would be  
fine. Internally, she hoped she would be. This exertion was beginning to  
wear on her, causing her weakness and dizzy spells to return. Closing  
her eyes, she concentrated on her breathing and opening her ki pathways,  
guiding them back to normal like Tofu had shown her. It was no cure, but  
it did allow her to shorten these weakness episodes and exert herself  
more.  
  
A minute later, Akane sat up, mostly recovered, to find her  
father cooking over their campfire. "I thought I was doing the cooking  
tonight?" she said, her voice slightly accusatory.  
  
Soun trembled, even as he gave her his best disarming smile.  
"Now, now, there's no need. I've already started." While her cooking had  
been steadily improving under Nodoka's tutelage, she could only make  
decent stuff when she was watched and corrected, and with the kitchen's  
handy tools. There was none of that here, and so Soun knew his youngest  
daughter had a 50-50 chance at best to make something edible. He wanted  
to save his luck for what he had in mind to teach her.  
  
Akane grumbled a little, but sat down on a log. Her father had  
been training her for half a week now, but he had yet to teach her  
anything she didn't already know. In fact, most of the skills and styles  
he was showing her, he had taught her when she was much younger. So what  
exactly where they doing out here? Was he going to hold back on her  
again?  
  
She knew there were things he had yet to teach her, but he had  
held them back from her. In fact, it was only a testament to her  
dedication, that she was as good as she was, given the limited training  
she had endured. Her skills were good enough to fend off everyday  
attackers, but they were practically nothing against Ranma and Shampoo.  
Even though she was training religiously everyday by herself, when she  
wasn't going to school, she had resigned herself to the fact that it  
would be a long time before she could hope to match either one. In fact,  
it was only the Tora Dokiken which had allowed her to defeat Shampoo in  
the first place; yet another cheat.  
  
Her train of thought was broken as she realized her father was  
handing her a bowl of miso soup. She nodded her thanks and began to eat  
silence as he poured his own bowl.  
  
"Something on your mind, daughter?" Soun asked, somewhat  
disturbed by her silence.  
  
Akane was momentarily startled, but tried to hide it. "No, just  
random thoughts."  
  
Soun chuckled. "You do know, that you're not much better at  
lying that Ranma is." He chuckled again at Akane's surprised look. "That  
was part of the reason I held the engagement between you two; I knew you  
both wanted it. I admit, it was my hope that you would come to love each  
other when Genma and I fist set you up. but if you hadn't, then I would  
have called it off. Then, when we saw our efforts were backfiring, we  
backed off in the hopes you two would work things out on your own." He  
smiled. "But that isn't really what you were thinking."  
  
Akane raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Inwardly, she was surprised at  
how much her father knew.  
  
"Yes, you were thinking of how we've up here several days, and  
I've yet to teach you anything," Soun responded. "I had to get an idea  
of how much you've retained, which I'm pleased to see that you've  
remembered nearly all my lessons. I also wanted to see what you picked  
up from Ranma. I've noticed that he's helped you tighten your defense,  
and also that you managed to learn a few aerial maneuvers from him."  
  
"Like they did any good," Akane mumbled, but loud enough for her  
father to hear. Whenever she had attempted to spring them at her father,  
she was surprised to see them either blocked, dodged, or countered. She  
was wondering if she was doing them wrong. Was he reading her?  
  
"You aren't really telegraphing your moves so much anymore,"  
Soun said, in response to her unasked question. "But you forget that  
Genma taught those moves to Ranma, and I used to spar with Genma  
everyday. I know most of his moves like the back of my hand, and you  
don't pull them off as well as he could."  
  
Akane grimaced, feeling the familiar welling of anger, but most  
of it was directed at herself, for not being good enough, and for  
wondering if she ever would.  
  
Soun finished his soup and scooped another bowl-full. "But  
don't be too hard on yourself. The initial forms and styles I taught you  
when you were younger, are the basis for the Tendo-ryu specialty. The  
Tendo and Saotome styles were meant to mesh together, but only when one  
has mastered one of them. To put it another way, you are attempting to  
use a bow without the bow string."  
  
Akane processed this in the quiet minutes that followed,  
unconsciously filling her bow once more, then her head came up as she  
arrived at a conclusion. "So what you're saying is, that if the Saotome  
school specializes in mid-air combat, then the Tendo school focuses on  
ground-based combat?"  
  
Soun smiled and nodded. "That is correct. While the Tendo  
school contains more formal methods of combat, including basic weapon  
forms, that is only the beginning. The style as a whole is meant to lure  
an opponent into thinking you are a standard opponent. As a master once  
told me, `A man is at his most vulnerable when he thinks he has you all  
figured out.' With the Tendo-ryu, you lead an opponent in the fight.  
With the Saotome-ryu, you surprise them at every turn by being as  
unpredictable and unconventional as you can. It was our hope that by  
merging the two styles, we would create a near-perfect Art."  
  
"I see," Akane replied, brow furrowing. "I think. It's all a bit  
much."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Soun told her, leaning back slightly.  
"I've probably said more than I should. At any rate, I will begin  
teaching you the advanced forms after dinner, but it should at least a  
week to show them all. Then it will be up to you to master them. If  
necessary, we can take another training trip or two until you learn them  
all."  
  
Akane smiled to herself, suddenly feeling excited about the  
prospect of learning something new, something that Ranma nor anyone else  
knew. With a strong burst of confidence, she met her fathers eyes and  
made a very Ranma-like vow.  
  
"That won't be necessary, Father," she declared with all the  
conviction she could muster, eyes never wavering. "I will learn them all  
within a week."  
  
  
  
  
"Nabiki, would you take these to Ranma and Natsume?"  
  
Nabiki glanced up from her manga to see her older sister  
holding a tray with three glasses of ice and a pitcher. A small stack of  
rice cakes were stacked on the side. Her eyebrows arched. "Moi?"  
  
Kasumi continued to smile, seemingly unaware of Nabiki's  
hesitance. "Yes. They must be working so hard in the dojo, that I  
thought they could use a snack.."  
  
Nabiki counted the glasses again. "So why are there three?"  
  
"Aren't you thirsty, too?" Kasumi asked innocently.  
  
Nabiki rolled her eyes dramatically, knowing exactly what was  
going on. "Bargained well and done." She stood and accepted the tray  
from her sister, who promptly retreated back the way she came.  
  
As she headed out to the dojo, Nabiki reflected on how easy it  
was for Kasumi to get Nabiki to do what she wanted. It was never  
anything big, and Kasumi usually compensated her well, so Nabiki  
indulged her sister. It was her own way of showing she cared; had it  
been anyone else, Nabiki would have immediately insisted on double the  
payment, and that would just be an open to further negotiations.  
  
[You're getting too sentimental, Nabiki,] she chided herself,  
trying to hide a grin. She was mostly successful.  
  
She traversed the short walkway between, then climbed the dojo  
steps. Just as she was about to knock however, she stopped and shivered.  
[Where did that chill come from?] She scanned the skies, noting a few  
clouds, but it was mostly clear.  
  
"Hmmm, the weatherman said it was supposed to be 65-70 degrees  
today," Nabiki said to herself, then smirked. "Of course, a weatherman  
is the only occupation where you can be wrong 70% of the time and still  
keep your job."  
  
She turned back to the dojo, and heard the familiar cracks and  
thuds that indicated weapon impacts. Then she frowned when she didn't  
the other familiar sounds of grunts and kiyahs that normally accompanied  
a workout. She had grown up in a dojo, after all, and was intimately  
familiar with the way her father and younger sister trained and sparred.  
Why were they so silent?  
  
Curious, Nabiki set the tray down, then slowly opened the door  
a crack. A cool breeze rushed out from within, causing Nabiki to shiver  
again. Ignoring that, she peeked through the small opening with one eye.  
What she saw, surprised her.  
  
Ranma was wielding a bo staff against Natsume's rugbeater as  
they leapt and fought around the dojo. Although, it wasn't sparring  
exactly, but more like dancing. Each thrust and swing was parried or  
dodged with precision. Every attack and counter missing their mark by  
mere millimeters. Plus, Nabiki had seen Ranma move much faster when  
sparring with his father, yet she guessed he was moving at only 3/4's of  
his regular speed.  
  
[What are they doing?] Nabiki wondered. But what puzzled her  
even more, was the fact that they had been in the dojo for hours, yet  
neither one showed any sign of perspiration. As she shivered again, she  
realized that the source of the cool air must have been coming from  
them.  
  
During Natsume and Kurumi's fight against Ranma and Akane, when  
the two sisters were trying to claim the dojo, Nabiki had noticed a  
chill coming from Natsume. However, it was barely detectable due to the  
warmth Kurumi generated. But Kurumi wasn't in the dojo now. Although,  
the chill was stronger than she thought possible. She guessed it must  
have been almost ten degrees colder in the dojo than outside.  
  
[Is Natsume doing all that?] Nabiki speculated. She got her  
answer almost immediately, when the two sparring combatants stopped.  
  
"That's enough, Ranma-san," Natsume said, backing away and  
holding up her hand. "I can't do much more."  
  
Ranma scratched his head. "Really? It felt like you could go  
farther."  
  
Natsume shook her head. "It's possible, yes, but highly  
dangerous. When Happosai taught me this technique when I was but a  
child, he told me that I should never go in too deep, or else I might  
freeze the blood in my veins or stop my own heart. I guess that's why he  
gave us weapons, so my sister and I could focus our elemental ki into  
them without much danger to ourselves. It gives our attacks an extra  
sting, and allows me to manipulate small air currents." She half-smiled.  
"Besides, it looks like you picked up the technique already, and in just  
a matter of days. It took me a couple months to do it."  
  
Ranma smirked. "Yeah, but I'm just good."  
  
Nabiki, still unnoticed by the other two, grimaced. [Still the  
macho wise-ass. I don't think I'll ever know what all those other girls  
see in you.] She knew if Akane had been there, Ranma would have at least  
gotten an elbow to the stomach. Natsume merely looked at Ranma  
strangely.  
  
"Um, if you say so," she answered carefully in a tone Nabiki  
could swear held a bit of contempt. But this was Natsume, who was never  
really showed much emotion.  
  
"Yeah," Ranma continued, seemingly talking to himself now. "I  
think I can take this a lot further, I just need to figure out how."  
  
"Be careful, Ranma-san," Natsume cautioned, reholstering her  
rugbeater on her back. "Control is everything when dealing with this  
technique."  
  
In the ensuing silence, Nabiki decided that she'd had enough  
peeping for now, and turned to pick up the tray. It was a bit colder to  
the touch than she remembered, but nothing she couldn't handle. The cool  
touch did remind her of the subtle calling from the equipment shed,  
where the weapons were stored.  
  
Where a certain katana continued to speak to her in dull  
whispers.  
  
Practicing her own form of control, Nabiki once again banished  
those voices as she entered the dojo, inwardly smirking at Natsume's  
startled expression. The other girl recovered quickly however, and  
gratefully accepted a glass and a few rice cakes after sitting down.  
Nabiki placed the tray on the floor and grabbed her own munchies before  
Ranma devoured everything. To her surprise, however, Ranma just  
continued to stand there and focus on his bo, seemingly unaware of  
anything else.  
  
"Saotome?" Nabiki ventured, then smirked. "Little brother?"  
  
"Just a moment," Ranma replied in a near-monotone voice that  
implied his mind was somewhere else.  
  
Nabiki shook her head and turned back to Natsume. "So, why'd  
Happosai teach you two this stuff anyway? It doesn't sound like him to  
do something helpful unless there was something in it for him."  
  
Natsume blinked. "I'm not sure what you mean. He is just a  
kind, wandering martial artist that helped us out." Her brow furrowed in  
thought. "Although, I do seem to recall some exercises he had us run in  
the nearby village. All I can remember, though, is the women of the town  
running after us." She shook her head. "Master Happosai must have gotten  
the villagers to help us in our training. That was thoughtful of them."  
  
[Figures,] Nabiki thought to herself. [Sounds like his M.O.  
Train up a little girl to help him steal panties. Well, it looks like  
Natsume has mostly suppressed the memory, and Kurumi most likely has as  
well. It's probably better that way.] Out loud, and with as straight a  
face as she could form, she said, "Um, yes, I guess it was."  
  
*Crack!* "Yeow!"  
  
The two girls turned to see Ranma drop the staff, as if the  
weapon was red hot or something. They were surprised to see the wooden  
bo shatter into several pieces as it hit the ground, as Ranma shook his  
hands in pain.  
  
"Ow! Ow! Ow!"  
  
Natsume frowned. "I told you to be careful with it."  
  
Nabiki was still staring at the pieces of wood that was all  
that was left of the staff. "Did he just do what I think he did?"  
  
"Yes," Natsume answered, shaking her head. "He nearly froze it  
solid. I could probably do the same thing if I pushed my ki too far, but  
do not want to shatter my weapon."  
  
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Idiot. Here, stop dancing around and  
have some lemonade." She handed Ranma a full glass as he settled down.  
  
Ranma took a sip, then grimaced. "Who ever heard of warm  
lemonade? Did Akane make this or somethin' before she left?"  
  
"No, Kasumi did," Nabiki told him. "And it tastes fine to me."  
She smirked. "You must have lowered your body temperature quite a bit."  
  
"Yeah, I guess," Ranma replied, glancing at the glass with a  
thoughtful look. "That's it!" Surprising the girls once more, he downed  
the glass and sprinted out of the dojo.  
  
As one, Natsume and Nabiki stared at the door, then at each  
other, then shrugged.  
  
"Wonder what the idiot is up to now?" Nabiki reached for another  
rice cake, only to find them all gone. "Wha-?" She frowned. "RANMA!"  
  
  
  
  
The world was blurry, sluggish, but at least the nightmares  
were over. The twisted image of a sneering face, shrouded in blackness,  
laughed and leered at him, making him feel powerless and vulnerable.  
  
"My lord?"  
  
Herb blinked to try and clear his vision. "Wh-what happened?"  
  
Sage appeared relieved. "You've been out of it for several  
days, m'lord. That vile Rogue General poisoned you. If it hadn't been  
for your superior constitution and the mages' help, I'm afraid of what  
might happened."  
  
Herb tried to sit up, his voice turning harsh. "The Rogues,  
what of them?"  
  
"Easy, m'lord!" Sage pleaded, trying to get his Prince to lie  
back down. "They are kept out for now, thanks to Tojiko's wall, but  
unfortunately it locks us in as well."  
  
Herb relaxed a little, though he was still upset at this turn  
of events. Part of this was due to the fact that the Musk Citadel had  
stood against all attackers through the centuries, but now it looked as  
though it might fall under his rule. But most of all, he hated the idea  
that they must hide and cower behind a protective barrier. [We are Musk.  
We should not have to conceal ourselves from our enemies.]  
  
The Dragon Prince finally noticed that his late father's  
retainer had been quiet all this time. "What is it, Sage? I know you  
have something else to tell me."  
  
"It's a small matter, m'lord, so I hesitate to bring it up at  
all," Sage replied.  
  
"Spit it out!" Herb's normal paper-thin temperament was  
practically non-existent, given the stress of his condition.  
  
"Well, while you were confront the Rogue General, we were  
robbed," the owlish retainer replied.  
  
Herb blinked. "Robbed? Who? And what did they take?"  
  
"That's what confuses us," Sage said. "We believe it to be one  
of the Rogues, a powerful wizard who easily overcame the soldiers and  
mages that happened across him. As for what he took, that is the  
strangest of all: It was the Chiitsuon."  
  
"The cold water ladle?" Herbs brow furrowed. He knew that  
particular object well, as it had the power to lock a Jusenkyo victim in  
their cursed form. "But what would they want that for?"  
  
"Indeed," Sage intoned. "Since you have cured your own curse by  
bathing in the Nannichuan, it is obviously no threat to you."  
  
Herb's eyes closed, suddenly feeling quite exhausted. It seem  
like there was entirely too much going on; wheels within wheels, hidden  
motivations, and strange armies appearing out of the blue. However, he  
couldn't help but feel there was something missing, some critical clue  
that would snap everything into place. If Herb were a betting man, he'd  
lay odds that it had something to do with the artifact that was just  
stolen.  
  
"In the meantime, I have sent word to the Joketsuzoku and the  
Phoenix for any assistance they can offer," Sage told him.  
  
"No."  
  
Sage blinked. "M'lord? Should we not request the aid of our  
ancient allies?"  
  
"We have had little to no contact with them for thousands of  
years," Herb explained. "We stood just fine without them before we  
united long ago, and we have been fine since. The Musk do not need help;  
we deal with our problems on our own."  
  
Sage opened his mouth to protest, but promptly closed it again.  
"As you wish, m'lord. Now you should get some rest, as you've been  
mostly dead for the past several days. Even you need time to recover."  
  
As Herb sensed the old man leave his bed chamber, he  
reluctantly allowed sleep to claim him. He knew that when he recovered,  
he would force these barbarians from his lands. He had underestimated  
his mysterious foes once; he would not do so again.  
  
  
  
  
"Well, any luck?" Ukyo asked, standing under the awning as a  
soaking-wet Yuri came out of the rain to share her shelter. It was  
coming down harder now, and Ukyo inwardly cursed the precipitation that  
slowed their search.  
  
Yuri shook her head. "Nobody has seen any sign of him." She  
clenched her fist as she turned back around, scanning through the  
downpour for someone she knew wasn't there. "I was sure he was here!  
After all, where else could he have gone?" She clasped her arms around  
her body and shivered.  
  
"I'm sure he's got to be around somewhere, Yuri-honey," Ukyo  
soothed sympathetically. "In the meantime, let's get you inside before  
you catch a cold." She grabbed ahold of the ninja girl's arm and began  
to drag her inside the small inn. She didn't like this anymore that Yuri  
did, but she couldn't see what else could be done at the moment.  
  
They had managed to track Kenji to this little seaside fishing  
village, and figured that someone must've seen him. But no one  
recognized the pictures they had flashed around town when they split up  
to search. Then the downpour had started, and they had began to  
rendezvous at an agreed upon location, the only inn in the small seaside  
fishing village.  
  
"Where's Hikaru and Konatsu?" Yuri asked as the two girls  
entered their room.  
  
"The guys have their own room down the hall," Ukyo explained.  
"And Selah is taking a bath right now. Actually, I think you should join  
her as soon as we get these wet clothes off you."  
  
"I'm fine, I-" Yuri started, then sneezed. She turned to look  
sheepishly at Ukyo, and relented as Ukyo helped divest her of her  
clothing, directing her toward the changing room.  
  
"Ya know, warm bath sounds good," Ukyo declared when Yuri was  
down to her underwear. She stopped to let the other girl finish, while  
she stripped down as well. When she was done, she turned to see Yuri  
just standing there in the nude, staring at the amulet in her palm.  
"Yuri?"  
  
"I was so sure he was in this village," the ninja girl said  
quietly. "Hikaru-san said this would lead me to my brother."  
  
Ukyo came up to pat Yuri gently on the back. "I'm sure we're on  
the right track."  
  
Yuri turned to face the chef, and Ukyo was surprised by the  
despairing look on the girl's face. "No we're not! The amulet is wrong!"  
  
Ukyo stared at the small blue orb, which was currently lit up  
with a simple arrow. Mentally aligning herself, she deduced the  
direction it was pointed. Looking up, Yuri nodded at her.  
  
"Yes, it's pointing west, but we've already gone as far west as  
we can!" Yuri nearly cried. "This stupid thing doesn't work!" She  
released the amulet, letting it come to rest in her modest cleavage as  
it hung from the leather strap around her neck. She then violently  
punched the wall.  
  
Ukyo's mouth suddenly felt dry as the thought came to her. "Not  
unless... he went to China."  
  
Yuri turned around, her turn to be surprised. "My brother left  
Japan and went to China? Why would he do that?"  
  
"Maybe..." Ukyo closed her mouth. She didn't want to say it, but  
she knew she had to. "Maybe he's not in control anymore."  
  
Yuri simply stared at her, her fists clenching. "No. I won't  
believe it! Kenji's stronger than that! He wouldn't let that thing  
inside of him get control again! And if it does, so help me, I'll kill  
whoever's possessing my brother!"  
  
Ukyo shivered, partly from standing around in the nude and  
partly from Yuri rapidly reaching her boiling point. She lightly grabbed  
Yuri's arm and began to pull her toward the bathroom. "Calm down,  
Yuchan. We'll find him. Tomorrow we'll go talk to the fisherman and see  
if anyone charted a boat for China."  
  
Yuri still sported a frown, but reluctantly acquiesced to Ukyo  
guiding her into the bathroom.  
  
  
  
  
Kenji glanced out at the pouring rain, glad he had managed to  
find this small cave seconds before the downpour started. He almost  
thought he wasn't going to make it. Once he detected the first few  
falling drops, he sprinted at his best speeds for the nearest shelter.  
Fortunately his clothes easily soaked up the light sprinkling,  
preventing his Jusenkyo transformation.  
  
(You almost didn't make it,) a cynical inner voice told him.  
  
[But I did,] Kenji shot back, somewhat smug. [I'm better than  
you give me credit for.] He was rather proud of his fifty-meter dash  
speed.  
  
(We're still moving too slowly,) Kae replied internally. (I was  
hoping to be in the Quing-Hai province by today. At your current rate of  
travel, we won't arrive for another two days at most.)  
  
Kenji frowned, leaning up against the cave wall. [At my rate of  
travel? Last time we tried your rate of travel, you attempted to steal a  
horse and kill the old man who owned it. Unless you have a stash of  
money to buy one, we walk.] He didn't admit that he was actually trying  
to go slower, mostly because of what Kae ultimately wanted at their  
journey's end.  
  
She had explained to him that what she desired was the utter  
destruction of a group she called the "Rogues." She also referred to  
them as the "Dark", and she had made it clear that she wouldn't leave  
his body until this group was dead. Kenji was decidedly uncomfortable  
with killing. Beating someone up was fine, but he was loathe to actually  
end someone's life, no matter who it was.  
  
(Don't worry, boy. When the time comes, it shall be I who does  
the killing.)  
  
Kenji started in surprise. [H-how!?]  
  
(Foolish boy, did you think you could keep your innermost  
thoughts a secret to me forever?) Kae sounded almost amused. (I reside  
inside of you, in the parts of your mind that you do not even wish to  
admit exist.)  
  
[Stay out of there!] Kenji snarled. [You don't have the right-]  
  
(I will do whatever I wish!) Kae barked at him. (I was  
imprisoned in the bowels of the Earth. I survived there for over 950  
years, biding my time. Then I outsmarted my captors by escaping. Do not  
speak to me of what my rights are. Rights go to the strong, of which I  
am, and which you are not. Remember that.)  
  
Kenji had no answer to that, and instead glanced out the cave  
entrance at falling rain. It might have been his imagination, but he  
thought the sudden downpour was beginning to let up.  
  
Kae sighed, unheard to anyone but the possessed boy. (Look kid,  
you're not bad. But you're nowhere near the level you'd need to be to  
able to challenge the opponents you'll soon be facing. If you want your  
life back, you'll have to turn over control eventually. If I have to  
fight you for it, I will, but it will save both us time and energy if  
you just let me handle things.)  
  
[I'm better than you think] he countered, naturally afraid of  
letting Kae take over again. Not only did that mean a loss of control,  
but he was afraid of she would do.  
  
(And the rain's letting up,) Kae replied. (Let's go.)  
  
Kenji sighed, but relented and exited the cave. While the rain  
had subsided, the clouds still appeared a little gray, and the sun was  
barely peeking out from behind them.  
  
[Okay, which w-]  
  
"Ah, there you are!"  
  
Kenji's head snapped up, homing in on the source of the voice.  
A solitary figure floated a dozen feet off the ground, covered from head  
to toe in a black robe.  
  
"Who are you?" Kenji demanded.  
  
Inside his head, Kenji heard Kae hiss. (That's Darmondo! He's  
one of the Rogues we've been hunting. Let me take control, now!)  
  
[No way, I can handle him,] Kenji countered. [After all, I can  
fly, too!] Calling upon his willpower, a whirlwind gathered around the  
ninja, lifting him into the air.  
  
Darmondo removed his cowl, baring his bald head to the sky.  
"Impressive for a mere whelp. If I had the time, I might take you in for  
experimentation. Unfortunately, I cannot allow one touched by Jusenkyo  
to near my Shogun Liege."  
  
Kenji snorted derisively.. "Like you could stop me. I'm  
stronger than you think."  
  
The Rogue wizard chuckled. "In physical arts, probably. Too bad  
you don't have more than that." His hands, which had been hidden the  
folds of his cloak, suddenly swung out to the accompaniment of a sliver  
flash.  
  
Kenji was nearly taken by surprise, but managed to cut the  
whirlwind, dropping him back to the ground. The splash of water landed  
several feet away.  
  
"That's it?" Kenji asked in disbelief. "To get me wet is the  
only way you can win? That's pathetic."  
  
(Let me take control, NOW!) Kae yelled, trying to fight her way  
free.  
  
Darmondo didn't bother to respond, but instead lanced out with  
a beam of black light. Kenji, who had been trying to push Kae back down,  
was caught off-guard, barely managing to dodge it. The second-hand  
explosion sent him tumbling to the ground. That's when he felt the water  
soak his clothing.  
  
[Damn,] the possessed boy cursed as he shrunk. [This is only a  
minor setback. If this moron thinks this will stop me...] He sprinted  
out of his clothes with as much speed as he could muster, evidently  
surprising his adversary. He clamped his jaws around the wizard's upper  
left arm and held on tight.  
  
Darmondo growled in anger and pain as he reeled under the  
attack. It didn't last long, however, as he punched Kenji's head several  
times until the wolf was forced to let go. Kenji hit the ground running  
and disappeared into a thicket of bushes in the forest.  
  
"Wretched boy!" Darmondo raged, holding his arm. "I'll get for  
that!" He let loose another wave of black light in the direction Kenji  
had ran, incinerating several trees.  
  
Kenji hadn't stopped however, but continued to sprint along the  
forest floor, circling the wizard's position. [If I can just get to my  
thermos, I can change back.] When he had realized that avoiding the  
different ways to get wet was futile, he had taken to carrying the  
thermos of hot water with him. It was good for one change back, until he  
could heat some more water.  
  
Another wave of black light cut a deadly swath across Kenji's  
path, but he managed to come to a stop before hitting the now open area.  
Crouching behind a rather large tree, he at first thought the wizard had  
found him. But as he peeked around the corner through the thick  
underbrush, he realized that Darmondo didn't really know where he was  
hiding.  
  
The wizard's head surveyed the area from where he floated,  
practically in the same position as before. Without warning, Darmondo  
unleashed another brilliant black light attack, directed in the complete  
opposite direction of where Kenji was hiding. Between the wizard and the  
cave entrance, Kenji spotted his clothes and pack. But could he reach  
them and splash himself before the wizard could finish him off? He was  
just about to give it a try, when Darmondo laughed.  
  
"Well met, boy!" he commended Kenji. "I see your sensei must  
have taught you well. You have escaped from me, for now, but your luck  
will not last forever. I was hoping to take you in for experimentation,  
as I don't have any wind mages to play with, but time is short and I  
have more pressing matters to attend. Plus, I have already beaten you."  
  
Kenji growled lightly, preparing to show his foe that he was  
not out of the fight, but Kae managed to hold him back.  
  
"In time, you'll understand," Darmondo continued. "But make no  
mistake; this is not over."  
  
Kenji blinked as Darmondo disappeared in a flash of black  
light.  
  
(Idiot!) Kae finally screamed at him. (If you had just let me  
take control, you wouldn't be in this predicament.)  
  
[He just surprised me, that's all!] Kenji countered, equally  
upset. [Besides, this is no big deal. We'll get changed back just as  
soon as we get the hot water from the thermos.]  
  
(More delays,) Kae growled. (The one idiot I possess, and he's  
cursed to turn into a mutt when splashed with cold water.)  
  
Kenji didn't reply, secretly pleased at the delay, while he  
padded over to his clothes and located the thermos. With practiced ease,  
he rolled onto his back while holding the bottle in his paws, then used  
his jaw to twist the cap off. In his mind, he had gained a short  
reprieve, and more time to figure another way out of this mess. Maybe  
his luck was turning around.  
  
Unfortunately, as the warm water cascaded down and he felt the  
distinct lack of the tingling change, he realized that his luck had  
instead just gotten much, much worse.  
  
  
-----------------------------  
Author's notes:  
  
Whew, got back into my writing groove at last! Wanted to slip in some  
parts about Shampoo and Mousse, as well as Ryoga and Akari, but it  
didn't work out that way this time. I still have plenty I want to do to  
them, but want to keep these chapters at a reasonable size. Next  
chapter, look for the continuing adventures of Tenma. After that, we'll  
rejoin our favorite Amazons, and begin to connect the events of the  
past, with what's happening in the present. I know I'm keeping the  
motives of the Rogues vague, and I haven't explored much of their goals  
and such, but that was done for a reason. Expect much more development  
of them in the coming chapters.  
  
And Thanks to Brian Gorham for prereading this!  
  
Til next time!  
Kai 


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